Allotments 4 All

Quote from: markfield rover on October 15, 2025, 16:16:37Thank you JanG , I am doing my finalish sort out and I have a CFB and a mangetout that I  was only able to save a few seeds 5/6 per member, if that's okay I'll add, also I believe the CFB Croft Italian, I added to the circle eight years ago - so may not be required by some. Cheers

As Galina says, 5 to 6 seeds per member is absolutely fine for peas and beans and cucurbits. And I would love some Croft's Italian please, so do include that too (minus one packet)

Jan, how unusual is that black pea?  Looks so exotic.  And having over the years shared, I believe all of Alan Kapuler's peas, it is great to get to grow a pea bred by his daughter too. 

I only have 4 seeds each of the watermelon MR.   5 or 6 is plenty for peas.  Too few for some veggies, but with peas, beans or squash, that is no issue.  And bean Croft's Italian can be shared without a packet for me.  I have just checked and have seeds, as well as a little stash safely in the freezer.

Thank you JanG , I am doing my finalish sort out and I have a CFB and a mangetout that I  was only able to save a few seeds 5/6 per member, if that's okay I'll add, also I believe the CFB Croft Italian, I added to the circle eight years ago - so may not be required by some. Cheers

PMs sent with seed circle admin details.

And on seeds, I've sorted out lettuces and peas at last and would like to contribute:

Lettuces

Lollo Rossa
An old standard frilly loose leaf lettuce which is pinkish red and a good standby for picking at leaf by leaf




Rouge Grenoble
Another well established variety which grows well away from summer heat and successfully over winters under cover

Vailan
This is a Little Gem type for winter growing

Hyper Red Rumple Waved
The seed for this fairly recent Frank Morton variety came from Seeds of Scotland and is an OSSI variety. Their notes for the variety are: "Dark burgundy red /purple leaf lettuce with deeply waved leaves, great for holding onto your salad dressing. Cut and come again as a loose-leaf lettuce or harvest as whole-heads.  The deep red pigment, known as the antioxidant anthocyanin means this lettuce is resilient in cold and wet conditions, a great choice for Scotland."



Brown Goldring
This came from HSL. T's a vigorous late cos. Their notes are, "Originally known as 'Goldring's Bath Cos', this lettuce won an Award of Merit from the RHS in 1923. Produces crisp heads in the summer and, like many of the old cos varieties, will overwinter with minimal protection. The dark green leaves have bronze tips and are sweet, crisp and juicy; they also keep well when compared with other lettuces. Sow to harvest 55 days (approx).
Won an award of merit from the RHS 1923. A deliciously tasting variety with more substance than modern Cos varieties. Hardy, it can be overwintered with little protection & has proved quite slug-resistant.
An exceptionally tasty and cold-tolerant bronze-tipped romaine lettuce. This type of lettuce has a crisp texture, juicy flavor, and impressive cold tolerance. Breeders and gardeners in the know consider this variety as an underappreciated gem. The conical heads are tightly wrapped and make an excellent scoop or canoe for filling!"

Peas

Clarke's Beltony Blue

This is a podding pea which I received in one of the first seed swaps I ever did, many years ago. It's an HSL variety. The peas are sweeter than many purple podded types. HSL notes are, HSL:This heirloom variety has been grown on our donor's great grandfather's farm in Co. Tyrone since at least 1850 (but possibly as far back as 1815). This tall (around 1.5m), prolific and vigorous pea produces beautiful pale pink and rich maroon flowers followed by a heavy crop of purple pods. The peas have a sweet and smooth flavour, becoming even sweeter when cooked. Sow to harvest 100 days (approx).



Ruby Beauty
I received seeds in a seed swap with a grower in Canada. It is a red podded variety. Red podded varieties have previously not been available commercially and for many who do their own pea breeding are a holy grail. Like many of these hitherto non-commercial attempts to achieve a red-podded variety, they are at their reddest when young becoming more purplish as they age. A hypertendril mange tout. It was bred by Dylana Kapuler and Mario DiBenedetto of Peace Seedlings.



Raatviksaart soup pea
Another seed swap variety but originally from Real Seeds. The seed is tiny and almost black. It's a Swedish soup pea but can be eaten fresh when young. Real Seeds notes: Mentioned by Linnaeus in 1741, this traditional Swedish soup pea is multipurpose - not just dried for soups, but sweet enough to eat fresh when very young, & also ground to make flour for bread and porridge. It's a medium-tall variety growing to around 5 foot in a typical year.
Sent to us by Jake Whitson in Sweden, who said:
"from the county to the north of us (Dalarna) where they have very hard winters, and the plants which we planted a little late survived into the winter through temperatures of -8C"
Grown in Rättvik until 1900, then thought lost until regenerated from a small sample in a seedbank.

Hi JanG,
       Thanks for your advice. We have a muntjack problem on site so it was just to protect them a bit. I didn't know if you needed to sesl the cuts but now I will crack on. Thankyou

Hi lezelle
Fleece is fine if just cut. No need for heat gun. Is this to keep allium leaf miner off? Japanese onions are hardy so not needed for insulation.

Hi All, I am planting some Japenese onions and hoping to cover them with fleece when required. The flece is huge and I wondered if I could cut it to size and would it be alright. Or would I need to use heat gun. Any advice would be most welcome. Thankyou

OK, Canada Post still on strike, d**n it but I will not forget

OK, Canada Post still on strike, d**n it but I will not forget